State Rep. Greg Evers has a consolidation bill that he will be proposing to the Northwest Florida delegation. It has a wrinkle that will give him and his fellow lawmakers power over the final referendum that will go before Escambia County voters….which seems to be way to guarantee campaign contributions for all incumbents in 2010.
Evers’ bill creates the commission, that can not exceed 25 members, that will draft a unification plan. However, it will have to passed by the Escambia County Commission, Pensacola City Council and the Century Town Council before it is submitted to the Legislative Delegation by Jan. 15, 2010.
Then the Legislative Delegation will vote whether to submit it to the Florida Legislature for approval. If the Legislature approves it, there will be a referendum vote by the citizens.
I interviewed Jason Crawford on this issue. He says that Rep. Evers believes that the final document must be approved by the state legislature. Scott Remington of Escambia All for One believes that the bill creating the commission meets the Constitutional requirements.
Either way we need to keep Tallahassee politics out of this process – the delegation needs to take the referendum as given to them and agree not to tinker with it.
Who will be on the Commission?
Escambia County Commission appoints five – each commissioner appoints one person who resides in their district. Century town council appoints one. Pensacola City Council appoints two residents.
Also the following will appoint one member:
Escambia NAACP
Escambia Co. Taxpayers Associations
League of Women Voters
PYP
Pensacola Ministerial Alliance
Escambia Co. Farm Bureau
Home Builders Association of West Florida
UWF President
Sheriff
Tax Collector
Property Appraiser
Supervisor of Elections
Clerk of Courts
Chief Judge of the First Judicial Circuit (two attorneys)
ECUA
There will be Special Advisory Committee Public Safety
Chair by County Public Safety Director
and members appointed by
Sheriff
Pensacola Police Chief
Police Benevolent Assocaiton
Fraternal Order of Police
Pensacola Fire Cheif
Escambia County Fire Chief
County Chapter of Professional Firefighters Association
City Chapter of Professional Firefighters Association
County Director of EMS
Economic Development Advisory
Members appointed by the Chambers of Commerce of Century, Pensacola, Gulf Coast African American Chamber, Perdido Key and the local chapter of the Florida Black Chamber of Commerce
Health Care Advisory
Members appointed by Baptist, Sacred Heart, West Florida, County Health Department, County Medical Society
This commission will be on a tight time frame. The soonest the bill can be passed is April. The final draft will need to finished by September 30 to give county and cities time to review and approve the document prior to January 15, 2010.